Modifying the pH of a water source, such as a water source that includes a source of free available halogen, can be desirable in certain applications, such as the cleaning and/or sanitizing of food and/or equipment surfaces by application of the water source thereto. In some applications it is desirable to reduce the pH of the water source, such as to less than 7. Reducing the pH of a water source can serve to reduce the alkalinity of the water, such as alkalinity due to aqueous bicarbonate, which if not reduced can result in the undesirable formation of scale, such as calcium carbonate scale, on surfaces that come into contact with the water. Reducing the pH of a water source that includes free available halogen, such as free available chlorine, can serve to desirably enhance the sanitizing properties of the free available halogen and correspondingly reduce or minimize the occurrence of undesirable microbes, such as bacteria, yeasts, and/or molds, within the water source itself and/or on surfaces to which it is applied. In some applications, it is desirable to controllably modify the pH of the water source, such that it has a pH value residing within a predetermined range. If the pH of the water source is outside of the predetermined range, the cleansing and/or sanitizing properties of the water source may be undesirably reduced.
With some applications, the pH of a water source can be reduced by the addition of a liquid acid, such as hydrochloric acid (HCl) or aqueous solutions of citric acid, thereto. Controllably introducing a liquid acid to the water source can be difficult in some instances, resulting in pH values that reside outside of a predetermined range. In addition, storage of the liquid acid can raise issues relating to safety and environmental impact, and related increased costs, such as increased costs associated with providing secondary containment of the liquid acid if storage containers containing the liquid acid are breached. Handling of the liquid acid (e.g., HCl) can raise safety and corrosion issues, such as exposure of workers and equipment to the liquid acid or its vapors.
It would be desirable to develop new compositions and methods that can be used to modify the pH of a water source. It would be further desirable that such newly developed compositions and methods provide for the controllable modification of the pH of a water source. It would be additionally desirable that such newly developed compositions and methods have associated therewith safety issues and environmental impacts that are no greater than and preferably less than those associated with previous methods of modifying the pH of a water source. It would be desirable to have a new composition that has a minimum of components yet is capable of being formed into a tablet, granule or prill that is strong enough to resist breakage or disintegration during handling, such as transport or packaging, which includes a high percentage of alkali metal hydrogen sulfate, and/or which dissolves at an acceptable rate in aqueous solution.